Rebuild a Windows XP PC

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This page provides information on rebuilding a typical Windows XP computer, with pointers to really useful and lightweight freeware.

Rebuilding your computer every so often keeps the startup and shutdown times low and wipes out any spyware, keyloggers and viruses that are on the machine. However, this may not protect you from rootkits. Printing this page before you begin should make the process as painless as possible.

Requirements:

  • You have a good knowledge of computer literacy.
  • You have backed up all your data on your computer.
  • You have a decent broadband Internet connection.
  • You are not facing an impending deadline on your task.

If the answer to any of these questions is "no", it is imperious that you are not to proceed. If the answer to all these questions is "yes", proceed at your own risk.

Disclaimer:

  • This is only to be attempted by those who are computer literate and willing to risk the loss of their data. If you are at all uncomfortable with computers, a knowledgeable friend will help. You are solely responsible for your data and hardware if you choose to follow these steps.

Before You Start:

  • If possible, have a spare computer handy. It is preferable if it is one that has been proven to connect to the internet using your internet service. In case the machine you are rebuilding can't connect to the internet because you have an old network card, it is good to have an alternative card.
  • Remember the important cardinal rule to follow when rebuilding PC's. It is essential to keep the OS and data on separate drives: that way, formatting or re-installing your OS does carries little risk of taking your data down with it. In spite of your best efforts to separate OS and data, during everyday use, a few files might have slipped into the drive that you are about to demolish. It is a good idea to search for them before you start. Some items to search for before you start are:
  • Address books:. These are for Outlook, Outlook Express and Thunderbird.
  • All Outlook PST files and Thunderbird data files (aka mail files).
  • Backup your favorite Firefox extensions using CLEO and FEBE. Back them up on to removable media, not the drive that is about to be demolished.
  • Search for *.doc, *.xls, *.pdf, *.ppt, etc., in your user folders. Backup the ones you need on to removable media, not the drive that is about to be demolished.
  • If you use Microsoft Word, back up your custom.dic (dictionary) and normal.dot (word templates), particularly if you have customized words and styles.
  • If you use other Microsoft Office apps, back up their Templates as well (*.pot, *.xlt, etc.) which can be found at ..\\application data\microsoft\templates in Win XP
  • Make notes on your printers: Port configurations, model numbers, and driver locations, so adding them later is easier
  • If you are a heavy Microsoft user, consider using the Profile Wizard (part of the Resource Kit) to automate the move of many settings.
  • Back up the ftp settings to your favorite sites.
  • Back up your "Favorites" or other Internet shortcuts, depending on your browser the location will vary.
    • For Internet Explorer this will be under: C:\Documents and Settings\<your name="">\Favorites
    • For Firefox this will be: C:\Documents and Settings\<your name="">\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox
  • Back up the QuickLaunch and Desktop Folders.
  • Back up your fonts folder (C:\Windows\Fonts) if you have installed any additional fonts and would like to be able to use them after the reinstall.
  • If there have been no significant hardware changes, save C:\Windows\System32\wpa.bak and wpa.dbl. Replacing these after the installation could save you having to reactivate windows.
  • Run C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\msinfo32.exe to get system information. Save the output to a text file & print it out (it is a huge file) or save it to the web so you know what is on your system when you go looking for drivers.
  • Determine your network adapter model and archive the latest drivers for it. If you can't connect to the internet after the reinstall, this will save you all sorts of pain.
  • Backup all user CERTIFICATES and FAVORITES in your browser.
  • If you don't have any firewall software already, make sure you download a program before reinstalling
  • Download & Save to a removable media Keyfinder. This is a free utility.
  • Run Keyfinder.exe to obtain Product Keys for your Microsoft OS & Microsoft Office before you rebuild as you will need these numbers if you do not have the original installation CDs.

Steps

Reinstall Windows

  1. Reboot the system & change the BIOS (typically you can enter the bios by pressing F7, F2, F12 or delete key depending on your system) to boot from CDROM as the first boot device.
  2. Reboot with the Windows XP CD.
  3. Delete the partition with the OS to ensure that everything is wiped out.
  4. Create a partition for the OS.
  5. Quick format to create the file system. Choose NTFS as the file system.
  6. Reboot. Do not choose option to boot from CD.
  7. Set the date and time.
  8. Set the workgroup to be HOME.
  9. Install Windows ($$$).
  10. Reboot. Once again, choose not to boot from the CD.
  11. Remove the CD - you should be in Windows now.
  12. Rename C:\Windows\System32\wpa.dbl to C:\Windows\System32\wpa.dbl.old (see previous section for the rationale - this may not apply to you).
  13. Copy the old wpa.dbl to C:\Windows\System32 (see previous section for the rationale - this may not apply to you).
  14. Reboot to ensure that this works.
  15. Reboot the system and change the BIOS to boot from IDE0 first and the CDROM last.
  16. Install your firewall software. It is very important that you do not connect to the internet with your rebuilt PC until after a firewall is installed. Windows computers can get infected with viruses very quickly after connecting to the internet - a firewall will protect you
  17. Connect to the internet. If you can't, you won't be able to follow these instructions and the print out is your only backup.
  18. Open your IE browser (ugh) and do a Windows Update (you can install Firefox as soon as the updates are done). You should have service packs & patches galore to install.
  19. Reboot, go back and check for updates - they are often disseminated in small quantities over days. so there may well be more updates waiting for you.
  20. Scan for hardware changes. Windows did not recognize the SiS 7012 audio controller on the test system, but only pointed it out after a scan for hardware changes.
  21. Install your printer.
  22. Do one final scan for hardware changes and ensure that everything is functioning.
  23. Reboot.
  24. Create a restore point called Base.

Install Utilities (External Links)

The following non-comprehensive list includes several free utilities culled from a variety of sources on the internet. Programmes that cost money are followed by a ($) symbol; the number of $'s proportional to the cost. You may not need some of them: only install the ones you need, since superfluous software merely slows your system down.

  • There are ways of automating the installation of these utilities - using InstallPad, for example. However, when the time comes to rebuild your machine - with any luck some years away - some of these programmes may have changed or been upgraded. Therefore, InstallPad would probably install programmes that are out of date or irrelevant, forcing you to uninstall them and reinstall your new favorites.
  • This list should remind you of the utilities that are likely to be of interest - if they are out of date when you are ready to do your next install, search for the latest ones.
  • For obvious reasons, you are strongly advised to install the antivirus programme before getting on the web.
  1. Install AVG Antivirus from here. Update it with the latest virus signatures immediately. Do NOT surf the web until this is done.
  2. Install FreeOTFE or TrueCrypt to create encrypted volumes for your sensitive data. This is especially useful for securing data on laptops.
  3. Install Moonsoft Password Agent ($) from here. If you want a free programme, try KeePass.
  4. Install Firefox from here. Install your favorite extensions from the CLEO & FEBE archive you previously created. Set your Firefox history and browsing preferences.
  5. Install Thunderbird from here. Recreate your email accounts, making sure you store the data files on another drive.
  6. Install ALFTP so you can ftp files to shared drives. It is a free and lightweight ftp programme.
  7. Install ALZip - it is a free and lightweight alternative to WinZip ($$).
  8. Install QuickTimeAlternative from here to view QuickTime content.
  9. Install Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Shockwave Player from here and here, respectively.
  10. Install Tracks Eraser Pro so you can wipe out your internet history, check startup entries and clean out your registry periodically.
  11. Install Yahoo Messenger with Voice from here. This lets you use make inexpensive international calls and use your webcam.
  12. Install CDBurner Pro. This is a lightweight CD burning programme that lets you create .iso files from CDs.
  13. Install MagicDisc from here. This lets you mount .iso files as separate drives and saves you having to stick CDs into your drive every time you want to play a game.
  14. Install Auslogics Disk Defrag from here. This is a free and very fast hard drive defragmentation programme.
  15. Install Java Runtime Environment and JDiskReport in that order. This programme graphically shows you the size of files on your hard drive so you know where your precious hard drive space is being used up.
  16. Install PDFCreator from here. This free programme allows you to create .pdf files from any word processor or spreadsheet. It can also combine multiple documents into a single .pdf.
  17. Install Foxit PDF Viewer from here. This is a free lightweight viewer that loads much faster than Acrobat Reader.
  18. Install DriveImageXML from here. This programme allows you to image your hard drives - which means that you can restore your system from the image, should your computer get glugged up.
  19. Install GIMP for Windows from here. GIMP is a Photoshop ($$$) replacement. You will need to install the GTK+ 2 Runtime Environment first. Make sure you are downloading the version for Windows XP. Install the GIMP for Windows next, followed by the Help and the Animation package.
  20. Install Yahoo Desktop Search from here. Allow it to index your drive fully (this should take some time so you may want to do this overnight). It will slow your computer down, so don't do it unless you need to index your files.
  21. Run CCleaner and clean your system. Go to the startup manager tab and un-check everything not related to the antivirus scanner, firewall or desktop search. Any non-essential (non-antivirus, non-firewall) links here will slow your startup down. Do this last.
  22. Reboot.
  23. Install Microsoft Office ($$$) or the free, but less polished Open Office.
  24. Install Microsoft Front Page Express ($$$) or the free but less polished NVU if you do any web page editing.
  25. Do an Office Update to get the latest patches. As before, do this several times to ensure that the system is completely patched.
  26. Reboot.
  27. Create a restore point called Microsoft.
  28. Restore your Desktop.
  29. Restore your QuickLaunch and SendTo Folders. Check to ensure that the links are still valid. Don't delete the links that don't work if you intend to reinstall those programmes.
  30. Ensure that the drives have been assigned their old letters or your shortcuts may not work. You can change the drive letters by going to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Computer Management->Disk Management. Right click on the disk whose letter you wish to change and click Change Drive Letter and Paths. Reboot to apply changes.
  31. Defragment your drive using Auslogics's Disk Defrag.
  32. Install your other programmes, if any. Reboot. Defrag your system drive. Run CCleaner to ensure that only the programmes you want to run at startup are in the startup folder.
  33. Create a restore point called System_00.
  34. Get a stopwatch and measure the time it takes to boot the system up into Windows. Also measure the time it takes you to log in. Measure the time it takes to shut down. Write these times down, so you have data points to help you decide when your system has become unacceptably slow. These times were recorded on the test system after reaching the System_01 restore point:
Time to login prompt: 00:51:38
Time to login: 00:12:56
Time to shutdown: 00:19:78

Back Your System up:

  • Use DriveImageXML to back up the system partition.
  • Use CDBurner Pro to save the system partition. Label and date using an appropriate CD-compatible pen and store safely.
  • Use DriveImageXML to back up the data partition.
  • Use CDBurner Pro to save the data partitions. Label and date using an appropriate CD-compatible pen and store safely.

Congratulations!

You should have a reasonably pristine system now. Every month or so, repeat the stopwatch tests, write them down and compare them to the original boot times. You will be surprised by how quickly the system slows down as gunk accumulates.

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